Sports: Mustangs sweep past Vikings See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
County speeds up site work By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Two decisions helped spur the pace of preparing the grounds for the incoming G&W Foods on the old hospital site. First was the decision to abandon construction of a stairway on the outside of the Medical Arts Building to its basement. Second was recognizing the likelihood that the building’s days are numbered, anyway. At their meeting Tuesday morning, Allen County Commissioners agreed to halt plans of a stairway that would have allowed the basement to be used for commercial purposes. Without the stairway, the basement can be used for storage purposes only. Danny Ware of Superior Builders said ceasing the project would save the county $15,000 as well as two weeks. Ware will concentrate efforts on repairing the west wall to the building that suffered damage when the old hospital was torn down. Commissioners Tom Williams and Jerry Daniels gave a thumbs up. Commissioner Jim Talkington voted no, calling the change short-
sighted. Talkington’s contention was making the basement accessible for more than storage would make the building “more viable” for another use. Williams countered, “I don’t want to spend money on a maybe.” “Time is of the essence,” said Daniels. Besides, he said, “the elephant in the room is that the building’s future is probably limited. Its days are numbered.” A recent development may give Daniels’ comment more credence. David Toland, who through Thrive economic development has been instrumental in attracting G&W, had two critical comments: — G&W “is calling at least once a week” about when the site will be ready for construction. — The company has told Toland that it is interested in putting a hardware store next to the grocery, which, Toland said, likely would mean the medical building would be razed and replaced by a new structure. As far as filling the gapSee COUNTY | Page A4
The Willis Clan will bring their song-and-dance routine to the Bowlus Fine Arts Center Saturday. COURTESY PHOTO
Willis Clan brings talents to Bowlus By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
The Willis Clan — a musical family of 12 children, and the stars of their own reality TV show — takes the stage in a sold-out show at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center on Saturday. The photogenic Nashvillebased brood divide their act between song and dance, merging — according to the Willis parents — “their
Irish roots with other music and dance genres to create a unique blend of the old and new.” According to the Clan’s website (note: in titling the TV show, TLC traded “clan” for the more digestible “family”): “The Willis Clan is a family of amazing musicians, dancers, athletes, writers, and artists. … We like to enjoy the full spectrum of life. We do music, dance, art, crafts, writ-
Governor faces April 8 deadline on schools bill TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has until April 8 to act on a school funding plan approved by legislators in hopes of satisfying a recent state Supreme Court order. The Republican-dominat-
ed Legislature delivered the bill to the GOP governor’s office Tuesday. The state constitution gives Brownback 10 days to review the measure. Lawmakers approved the bill last week to give the Su-
preme Court adequate time to review it. The high court ruled last month that the state isn’t giving poor districts their fair share of more than $4 billion in annual state aid. The justices said lawmak-
ers had until June 30 to fix the problems and threatened to shut down schools statewide. The plan redistributes $83 million in aid for the 2016-17 but prevents any school district from losing money.
Tobacco 21 debate extends across Kansas By ALEX SMITH Heartland Health Monitor
O
ver the past several months, teams of health advocates in the Kansas City area have been making their way from one city to another, lobbying city leaders to raise the legal age for the purchase of tobacco to 21. Since its October launch, Tobacco 21, a coalition made up of business, government and health groups, has run up a string of victories in some of the area’s largest cities, including Kansas City, Mo.; Kansas City, Kan.; and Olathe. But the reception they got March 21 at a Gardner City Council meeting was a first. After representatives from the coalition made their case, members of the Gardner City Council began pummeling them with questions, including one from Councilman Rich Melton, who asked one of the presenters what she had for lunch. Upon hearing “lentils,” Melton began making his
The Gardner City Council unanimously rejected a proposal to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21. HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR/ALEX SMITH case. “Can you imagine if I said I didn’t like lentils, and I said nobody should eat those?” Melton declared. “They’re disgusting. They make me sick to my stomach. I think we should ban those.” Over the next hour, council members did little to hide
their opposition to the proposal. They made it clear that their ideas about the proper role of government were at odds with the advocates’ hopes of improving public health through their proposed change in public policy. After some further passionate condemnation of the
proposal and more than one evocation of the Founding Fathers, the council rejected the proposal. The vote was a unanimous 5-0. Personal freedoms
A few days later, Melton See TOBACCO | Page A3
Quote of the day
“Bitterness imprisons life; love releases it.”
Vol. 118, No. 107
75 Cents
— Harry Emerson Fosdick, American clergyman
ing, as well as horses, wrestling, homemade cooking, swimming in the creek, and snuggling up before our fireplace warming our log cabin. We even have a front porch swing. “Our children have won regional and national dance titles and placed in world competitions for both music and dance. The boys have won See WILLIS | Page A4
Cook search continues Authorities continue to search for Iolan Shawn Cook, who has been missing since March 13. A l l e n County Crime Stoppers has stepped forward to sweeten the pot for potential resShawn Cook olution. Crime Stoppers announced a $2,000 reward to anyone who provides information to help find Cook. Cook, 33, is listed at 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 140 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes and a goatee. He also sports several tattoos. Allen County Attorney Jerry Hathaway announced last week the arrest of Josh Knapp on unrelated charges. Hathaway described Knapp as a “person of interest” with Cook’s disappearance. Another person of interest, whose name has not been released, also may have information, investigators and Cook’s family members said. Call Crime stoppers 1-800222-8477 or submit a tip to w w w. a l l e n c o u n t yc s . o r g . (Calls must be made to Crime Stoppers to be eligible for the reward. All callers will remain anonymous.) Tipsters also can call the Iola Police Department (3654960) or Allen County Sheriff ’s Department, 365-1400, with information.
Hi: 74 Lo: 48 Iola, KS